Two years later...
The imperial capital was alive with the sounds of joy and laughter, It was a sound most welcome to the citizens who had been living the lie that was the glorious capital. this phenomenon was rare in the country that had been mired in the corruption that plagued the capital ever since the old Emperors demise, There was few festivals to be had that the populace could afford to calibrate but there was only one exception to the rule where everybody chipped in to celebrate and that was the return of its sons and daughters of war, but these weren't just the regular troops coming home from a long and tiring campaign. no this was the welcome return of a symbol of hope and incorruptible valor...
...The Order of The Red Dragon had returned.
Commonly called 'Dragons' they were warriors of old created by the first emperor to safe guard the kingdom from the enemies its regular army had no hope of defeating. It has been five hundred years since the last time a Templar force had stepped foot into the great city and it was quite a welcome sight to the everyday citizen as they watched the glistening precession of men and women on horseback, their pure white surcoats and matching capes fluttering in the wind as flower petals rained down upon them. men and women alike stared in wonder at the person at the head of the march, he was strong and gallant, his body hard from years of toil and bloodshed. His shoulder length blond hair and noble features caught the eye of many a lady who longed for this epitome of knighthood, much to the bitter ire of their husbands and lovers. He rode at the forefront with nobility and pride, flashing a dashing smile to and fro as the precession marched onward toward a great manor house that stood watchful over the district.
This man was to them the fabled Grey, a man known as the godslayer. His feats of skill and prowess had amazed the masses with his legend. At the battle of Acar in a far off land he,the only surviving Templar, brought down the savage god of war that laid low their mighty legions. earning him the rank of Lord Marshal, a title so few have been found worthy enough to hold. He was said to be as they saw, tall and handsome, fearless in battle, and rumored to be peerless in bed, much to the excitement of the young maidens who fought for his attention as the precession passed them by, not noticing the strange look of confusion that appeared on the mans face when they called his name.
Behind the group of riders was driven a simple yet well made carriage of hard wood walls and iron wheels. the curtains where drawn and denied access to the confines of the carriage as the precession came to a stop in front of the lavish mansion, the carriage doors in front of which stood a family of three and their guards.
The father was a portly gentlemen with brown eyes and swept back gray hair with a matching moustache and goatee wearing a light brown suit with a maroon tie, his left hand was bandaged and missing a few fingers. He seemed to be in his fifties while the mother was quite a few years younger than her husband, probably in her early thirties and very beautiful with bright blue eyes, a smile that never faded, and long blonde hair that fell to the middle of her back. She wore a beige evening gown with a ruffled bodice. The daughter looked like a younger version of her mother with a sweet smile and shoulder length blonde hair. In her blonde hair she had a fluffy blue accessory and wore a blue dress with a ruffled bodice and a black midsection, under which she wore a ruffled long sleeved shirt with a blue bow tied at the collar.
The lady of the house sent a sly glace towards the head rider as he dismounted and made his way towards the family, the mother thrusting out her chest and put on a coy smile while the daughter smiled brightly, both hoping to catch the eye of this soon to be very sought after suitor while they had the chance to snag the immensely wealthy warrior who, much to their surprise and damaged ego, walked right past them without sparing them a glance as he continued on to the carriage.
The man opened the door and pulled out the wrought iron steps and attempted to assist the exit of the passengers but he was waved off and so he settled to kneeling by the carriage as a man stepped out from its confines.
This man had medium length black hair and blue eyes, a bright smile and a charming face. He was no where near as handsome as the man kneeling on the ground, but by no means was he ugly. He wore a black longcoat that had the scarlet cross emblazoned on the back in scarlet. underneath he wore a loose shirt the color of blood and black trousers. His face was clean shaven and he leaned heavily on a cane made dark wood and finely crafted silver. It wasn't until the knights, foot soldiers, and even the damn horses bowed, that the assembled crowd of noblemen and peasants knew, without a shadow of a doubt, who this man was.
"Godslayer!" the kneeling warriors declaration confirmed the thoughts of every one present. The lady of the house along with her daughter and the surrounding fangirls felt ashamed that they had been doopt into believing that the handsome man at the forefront had been the man who now stood in front of them offering a shy smile before he turned to the carriage to assist the exit of a beautiful woman with scarlet hair that fell in waves down to swell of her rear, she had smooth and flawless porcelain skin that made her bright crimson hair shine like the sun against its snowy backdrop. she wore a beautiful and flowing red dress that clung to every dip and curve of her insanely beautiful body. Her eyes remained closed behind a length of red silk however, as she was guided by the Lord Marshal up to the family, leaning on the cane the whole time.
"Good afternoon, I hope its not to much trouble for us to ask to stay with you fine people." Grey asked, his tone cheerful and polite. the old man smiled warmly.
"No, not at all. In fact its quite an honor to have the legendary godslayer grace our lovely home." He said with a bow which led to his wife and daughter to perform a flawless curtsey, the wife,now over her shock, showing a carefully planned amount of cleavage. Grey flustered,but not at the cleavage. " Please don't start as well, I have a hard enough time as it is with these lovable idiots. " he said gesturing at the assembled dragons who gave a slight chuckle at their commanding officer.
" See! No respect what so ever, gotta hang the lot of them. " Grey finished with a smile, showing he didn't mean what he said. He knew that these men and women would die for him, he had but to ask. the family straightened, as the mother eyed the scarlet woman with a false smile and a hidden glare of disgust as her husband turned to her with a hungry eye.
"Ah, and this must be your beautiful wife I assume?" He questioned, hoping that if she was she wasn't happily married due to her husbands disability. He didn't mind that she was blind, He had a few ideas on how he could use that to his advantage even if she was a happily married woman, just have to get rid of the cripple first.
"In his dreams." She said in a melodious voice. The man in question chuckled.
"I believe you mean nightmares." he said before he turned to the gentleman before him.
" I'm happy to inform you that I have rejected this scarlet pain in my behind on the multiple occasions of her declaring her undying love. My father was a wise man who told me to seek out a woman just like my dearly departed mother who was a saint...and blonde." He said sending a wink at soon to be named Aria, who blushed brightly at the Grey's words. She made a mental note to be on her best behavior for the length of the mans stay. Aria looked at her mother from the corner of her eye and saw that she was thinking the same and a quick glace at her father revealed that he had his eyes riveted to the redheads chest like it was water and he was dehydrated in the desert. Inwardly Aria scowled at her father and averted her eyes back to lord Grey who she found to be looking at her with bright eyes.
" And speaking of blondes, who might be this vision before me?" Grey looked at the lady of the house. " Surely she must be your sister." Aria was torn between smiling at the lords compliment and scowling at the obvious glee in her mother's eyes. she decided on the former and fixed him with the most dazzling smile she could muster. The lady had the grace to look flustered.
"Surely you jest good sir, I'm her mother!" She said with a hand on her chest and the other fanning her flustered face. Lord Grey mocked offense. " I am surely not my lady, I first mistook her to be your twin. You must forgive me if I don't believe you." He said.
"Its true." The lady insisted." Tell him darling!" She said to her husband who didn't even have the grace to look guilty as he pulled his eyes away from the redhead, who had been oddly silent as she stood beside the Lord Marshal.
"Why yes, This is my darling daughter Aria and my wife Evelyn, and I am lord Winston Greenwall, at your service.
"Oh, forgive my manners! I was so excited to be out of the carriage and away from the company of the dragon over there" "That I forgot to introduce myself. I am Lord Marshal Greymoor of the illustrious house Greymoor, Lord Marshal of the wardens of the mighty Order of Ddraig!" The warriors gave a roar and pounded the butt of their spears against the ground, resulting in a tingle inducing show of loyalty and might. Aria could already fell the beginnings of a primal hunger begin to rage inside her at the sight of the Lord Marshal, even crippled as he was, at the head of the shining host.
"What about your first name?" Asked Lord Greenwall, having observed the absence of such in his introduction.
"It is tradition in my house to withhold our given names until we've taken a lover to whom we entrust the knowledge, there is power in names milord I beg your understanding and that you simply refer to me as Grey." Grey said with a bow. Winston cocked his head to the side for a moment.
"Such an odd custom... maybe our Aria can weasel it out of you!" Winston suggested with a smile.
"Father!" Aria protested, her face on fire, much to her fathers amusement.
"Hahaha, don't act like you don't like the idea." Winston joked with a wiggling of his eyebrows.
"she is a beautiful lady, like her mother. Lady Aria, may I be so forward as to inquire your age?" Grey asked the teen, whose face burned with embarrassment but she recovered quickly.
"I'll be eight and ten in a months time." She said with a curtsy. Secretly hoping that the Lord Marshal was entertaining the idea of entering a betrothal with her. Not only was he a member of the Order of The Red Dragon, and what amounted to the Great General in the Imperial military, he was the heir of House Greymoor. A family so distinguished and trusted that even if the prime minister accused them of high treason, such as a attempt on the Emperor's life, the rest of the Imperial court would laugh him out of the capital. The house was rumored to have been founded by the brother of the first emperor, who swore a blood oath of allegiance to the empire that has been repeated by ever lord Greymoor ever since. The betrothal would skyrocket her families place in society and bring forth mountains of business to her father's various enterprises, It was a bonus that lord Grey was at the very least decent looking.
"I'm surprised you are not already betrothed." Grey expressed with his eyes wide. Aria's mouth opened to respond but her mother beat her to it.
"She was so excited to meet you that she scared them all away when she heard the noble Godslayer was to be staying at our humble manor." Evelyn said with a giggle as her daughter looked on mortified.
"Is that so, why would she do such a thing?"
"She's been enamored with you ever since your legends first graced her ears." Evelyn said while her daughter did her best to disappear into the background.
"You make me sound like some sort of hero." Grey responded bashfully as he rubbed the back of his neck as Evelyn grew closer and pressed herself tightly against his body, careful not to bump into his cane.
"Why yes milord, your reputation proceeds you." Evelyn batted her eyes as she spoke the words rather huskily, her husband's full focus back towards the bursting bosom of the buxom redhead.
"Well I guess I have a lot to live up too." Grey replied as he placed his hand dangerously close to the woman's posterior, and would have gone further if a certain redhead hadn't grown tired of the heat and the eyes she could practically feel.
"As much as I hate to intrude, Its been a long journey and as much as he loathes to admit it the idiots leg would appreciate the reprieve of a soft bed." her derisive tone tore the families patriarch out of his fantasies of paizuri and other such debauchery.
"Of course, Aria will escort you to your rooms." Grey had to give the old man some credit he could certainly pull himself together rather quickly.
"room." the correction came from the Lord and to the surprise of the family, the red lady didn't protest in the slightest.
" I don't trust Enyo here to behave properly without me keeping an eye on her."
"Jackass. " Enyo spat.
"Bat. " retorted the cripple to the redhead, who wasted no time pointing out said disability.
"Gimp. "
" I believe you mean pimp daddy scrumptious! " Grey retorted with a waved of his hand as he began to follow a giggling Aria.
"You wish!" Shouted the red head as she was led by the lady, who was glad for an excuse to follow the Lord Marshal.
"Hmm, I'm sorry did you just say "I love you."." Said man said as he stopped dead in his tracks.
"Hell, no!"
"I apologize, but I must once again break your heart, your not enough woman for me." He said with a mock bow, which, even though she was blind, seemed to infuriate the woman more.
"I'll show you how much of a woman I am!" Threatened Enyo, unknowingly opening the door for the end of the argument and her loss as Grey let out a gasp and clutched at his chest, scandalized.
"Enyo, do not say such things in public! Have you no shame!" He berated the now silent redhead as the family and the assembled warriors who marched pass going towards the nearest barracks laughed at their display.
***][***
As soon as the door closed between the young heiress of the Greenwall fortune and the Lord Marshal the smile that he held on his face dropped and was replaced by a focused set of his brow. He stood straight and walked unaided, instead held the can in a loose grip in his gloved hand as he turned his back towards the door and faced the red headed woman, who looked at him without looking at him with her arms crossed beneath her chest and head cocked to the side.
"You seemed offly fond of lady Aria." She implied with a scowl. Grey smirked and made his way to the bed and sat down on its feathery expanse.
"Jealous?" He mocked as he kicked off his boots and laid back into the blue blankets of the large king sized bed, placing the cane at the edge of the bed.
"Of that flat chested little girl, pfft." She scoffed and sat down in a nearby chair.
Grey laid in the bed for a while and enjoyed the softness of a bed after months on the road. It has been a long time since he had been in the empire, and even longer since he'd been in the capital city...not since...
"I found them." Enyo side driving him out of his thoughts and back into reality. "Where are they?" He asked as he mournfully sat back up in the bed, his bones and muscles protesting the action. He ignored their screams and stood as his companion motioned towards the opposite wall to the door.
"In a storage room at the back of the grounds...It's not pretty." She warned as he made his way to the window and looked out over the grounds. He saw armed guards patrolling, with two at the entrance to said storage shed.
"How many?" Grey asked as he faked a smile and waved at one of the guards along the walls, a tall man with a rifle slung across his back, the man waved back before continuing on his way.
"Total? About fifty, live, two with one fading fast. I gave her a aura spark that should give her a few more hours but the other one is to far gone for that." Grey nodded grimly." Gotta give it to the kid though, he's the only reason the girl remains chaste, see the bastards hand, the boy jumped him a bit 'em off. Got one hell of a beating for his trouble, but to him it was worth it." Enyo smiled and so did Grey, who looked back at the redhead and said. " Remind me to send him off as an honorary Dragon." Enyo nodded and re crossed her legs, her heavy dress rustled in protest.
" Duly noted. "
" So how long does the girl have exactly? " Grey asked as he turned back to the window.
" Before the aura spark, a couple hours and a tearful goodbye just before the rendezvous. Now she'll outlive the boy by about a day without medical attention which, knowing you, will come long before then. " She said with a smile on her face and in her words.
Grey smiled and tucked his head." That predictable huh? "
" In a good way, I dare say its one of your more endearing points. " She stood up and made her way to the window beside him. " What about the girl, the blonde one? " She asked him.
" You already know. " He said, which apparently wasn't what Enyo wanted to hear.
" You can't be serious! that twisted little twat doesn't deserve to live! " the redhead roared.
" You don't know the half of what she's done. "
Grey sighed solemnly in the face of her wrath. " The same could be said about me. " He whispered, so low that even he could barely hear himself, but to Enyo he might as well have shouted it to the heavens. Her rage subsided as quickly as it came as she hugged him from behind, placing her head against his spine.
" I'll kill anyone who says that! No matter what you've done or who've you've done it to you deserve to live! You're a wonderful man and I'm proud to call you friend." She hugged him tightly against her, if he was a younger man he would have blushed profusely and thrown her off of him the moment he felt her magnificent bosom press against him, as he was he only clasped her hand with his own and flashed a small smile.
"I don't know what I'd do without you." He could feel her smile into his back.
" Masturbate. " She said, earning a chuckle from the severely depressed man.
" There you go with those fantasies again. " Grey squeezed her hand before releasing himself from her arms. Enyo huffed indignantly.
" I wouldn't have to fantasize if you just took me up on my offer! Geeze, you'd think that after two years of trying id catch you in the mood at least once!" She emphasized her point by thrusting out her arms in annoyance as Gray went and laid back down on the bed.
" I already told you why I can't. Ahhhhh. " He groaned as he flattened out into its soft embrace of fine fabrics and feathers.
" I already told you why I can't. " Enyo mocked with a sneer as she made her way to the bed. " And I already said that I wasn't like Her." She finished as she flopped onto the bed in an explosion of skirts and blankets." Your the only man I want and, what a coincidence! , the only one I respect. Now, can I remove this stupid blindfold? It's annoying the hell outta me! "
"Yeah go ahead, but remember to put it back on when we go to dinner, wouldn't want to scare the hell out of the host now would we." Gray said with a lazy motion of his hand. Enyo wasted no time in taking off the annoying accessory, revealing eyes the color of literal Molten gold that swirled and churned within the depths of her iris'. " Why do I even Have to wear this stupid thing again? I thought you said I could take it off once we got to the capital. " The scarlet beauty complained as she rubbed her eyelids with two gloved hands. Grey didn't even look at her as he rolled over and buried his head in his pillow." Because the men under my command wouldn't take to kindly to me being in the presence of a heathen, let alone one such as yourself, Sparta." He said pointedly, his voice muffled by the sheets.
Enyo gave a dazzling smile as she fixed him with her golden gaze. " I love the sound of my name as it rolls off your tongue; I wonder how it taste on your lips. " She seduced as she leaned down, only to be stopped by Grey without him even lifting his head. " Not happening. " The redhead pouted in disappointment as she retreated. " Will you at least say it more often? " She ventured, and was quite happy when he gave the affirmative.
" Yay! " She squealed.
" But, it will have to what until after we leave the Greenwalls. " Grey interjected before she could glomp him. she was way to excited to finally be referred to as Sparta once more.
What ever she could have said was lost as a knock resounded throughout the room.
"May I come in?" Came aria's low voice from beyond the door. With a look from Grey and quick as lightning Sparta had donned her bolt of silk and settled into a chair as Grey retrieved a book from their luggage, The book was bound in ancient well cared for leather and sewn into the spine was a number of old and yellowed pages that crinkled as Grey opened to a pre marked page as he sat down at the chair across from the redhead. the entire process taking less than a few seconds.
"Of course! Its your house after all." Grey replied just as he sat down, making it look like he had paused in reading the slim book.
"I didn't wish to intrude." Said the blonde as she entered the room, and allowed herself a small smile upon seeing the pair had an appropriate amount of space between them. Grey placed the feather of an owl back between the pages and closed the book before looking at the girl with a smile.
"My dear, how could you possibly intrude? Its not like you will walk in on anything indecent, Id rather have relations with a hornets nest!" He proclaimed, making the girl giggle once more as Sparta scoffed at him.
"And I prefer my men to walk without aid, thank you very much!" She retorted matter-of-factly, earning an unseen glare from the man in the room.
"What are you doing then?" Spoke the Heiress as she stood beside Grey, looking over his shoulder at the book in his hands. Grey looked at the girl, a gentle smile on his face that made the maiden shudder inwardly with glee, taking it as a sign of favor. Grey held the book in the hair in one hand and gestured at Sparta with the same hand.
"Well, as you can see, sweet Enyo here is as blind as you are blonde." He began only to be interrupted by said redhead.
"Gimp." Was her withering reply, Grey gave a long suffering sigh and shook his head before looking back at Aria.
"Ah, there she goes again. You see Aria, Enyo doesn't really speak our tongue so she sometimes gets her words confused. Like just now, she said 'Gimp' but she meant 'Pimp daddy scrumptious'. " Grey continued after dodging a swipe from Sparta by leaning back in his chair. "I've been trying my hardest to teach her proper Imperial, but I'm afraid her barbarian ways are far to engrained in her fragile mind. Part of my saintly endeavor involves me reading to her, Shakespeare in this case." He finished lifting the book and shaking it gently. Aria looked at the worn leather book blankly before looking at Grey with confusion.
"Shakespeare, Who is he?" She voiced and Grey looked at the book fondly before he spoke.
"A poet and a playwright from a bygone age, far across the world, Her country to be precise." He said brushing the cover with his hand, now bereft of gloves to reveal thin fingers and calluses, which Aria found odd on a man of his station. Most nobles she'd ever met had smooth fingers skilled in either art or music, the kind of hands she had come to expect from men of wealth. But she new that his hands where the result of years of hard work, something she had learned from her…hobby…
she briefly wondered how it would feel to have those hard fingers dancing over her bare skin, caressing her most intimate of places his warm breath in her ear as he administered to her with tender touch that so richly contrasted against the roughness of his skin…She shuddered at the thought.
"Are you cold?" Grey asked with concern, Aria quickly squashed her thoughts and promised to rid herself of her appetite for books of the sultry variety.
"May I see?" She asked after assuring him that she was indeed warm and not coming down with a cold.
"Sure." He said handing her the book on the condition that she be careful with its ancient pages. Gingerly she opened the pages to peer at the text and to her utter surprise she found it indecipherable.
"What is this?! I cant read this at all!" She admonished as she thrust the book away from her and into Grey's smiling face, demanding and answer. Grey just chuckled and plucked the book out of her hands before placing it onto the table, still open to the page.
"It just so happens that my endeavor allows me to keep up with my foreign languages, I read them to her in Imperial via translating the words from their original text." He said, his smile turning into a self satisfied smirk. Aria looked at him as if he was a golden stockade, wide eyed and excited. She was glad that her desired suitor was intelligent enough to undertake such and endeavor, her desire for the man grew with each new discovery about his person and talents.
"That's amazing! your a genius." She praised the man who simply spread his arms with a smile in a humble gesture.
"Merely a talented idiot with to much time on his hands." He said as he clasped his hands together. Aria was about to speak when she was interrupted by Sparta, who muttered a well timed jab.
"I'll say." She said, earning a glare from her blue eyed companion. Grey looked back at aria before turning back to the book.
"Your more than welcome to stay and listen as I attempt to civilize this godless heathen." He said, thrusting his thumb towards the redhead who shot back with a not-so-ladylike gesture of her own...
***][***